[HealthDharma] Resources

[Kokuu]

Dear all

If you know of any resources related to practicing with physical illness, disability, mental health conditions and/or neurodiversity, please recommend them in this thread and I will add them to the list below. At present they mostly relate to physical illness but hopefully that will improve. Each is labelled whether it predominantly relates to Physical illness, Mental health, general Illness (i.e. both mental and physical health) or Neurodiversity.

Books

P Aligned, Relaxed and Resilient by Will Johnson
M The Anxious Buddhist (free download)
N Autism and Buddhist Practice by Chris Jarrell (ed.)
P Being Bodies by Lenore Friedman and Susan Moon (eds) especially the first two chapters
N Being Seen: Memoir of an Autistic Mother, Immigrant, And Zen Student by Anlor Davin
I Being With Dying by Roshi Joan Halifax
P Breath by James Nestor (not Buddhist per se but looks at a number of different breathing techniques and the science behind how they can help our health)
I Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn
I Heartwood: The Art of Living with the End in Mind by Barbara Becker
P How To Be Sick by Toni Bernhard
P How To Live Well With Chronic Pain And Illness by Toni Bernhard
P Impact: Accidental Zen (book chapter) by Shosan Victoria Austin in Zen Teachings in Challenging Times
P Living Well With Pain And Illness by Vidyamala Burch
P Lotus in the Fire by Jim Bedard
P Most Intimate by Pat Enkyo O’Hara
I No Mud, No Lotus by Thich Nhat Hanh
I Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach
P This Is Getting Old: Zen Thoughts on Aging with Humor and Dignity by Susan Moon
I Training in Compassion by Norman Fischer
P Turning Suffering Inside Out by Darlene Cohen
I When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chödrön
M Yoga for Depression by Amy Weintraub


Blog Posts and Articles

N Autism and Awakening: Learning with Autisha by Helen Mirra
N Autism and Buddhist Practice by Jane Garrett (Prajnanandi)
M Buddhist Precepts Reduce Stress and Buffer Depression by Christopher Bergland
P Dancing in the Dark by Zenshin Florence Caplow
M How Buddhism Helped My Mental Health by Beth Burgess
M How does a meditator deal with episodes of major depression? by Narayan Helen Liebenson, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and Zenkei Blanche Hartman
N Is Meditation Good for ADHD? by Fuyu
P My Grass Roof Hermitage by Kokuu
N On the Spectrum, On the Path by Louise Woodford, Anlor Davin and others.
P Sick and Useless Zen by Julie Nelson
P Stuck in Slow Motion by Vanessa Zuisei Goddard
N The #autistic buddha: my uncoventional path to enlightenment by Tom Clements
P Zazen, A Better Way of Experiencing Pain by Gudo Wafu Nishijima


Audio Talks and Podcasts

P Cultivating Mindfulness, Working with Pain (Sally Clough Armstrong)
P Dongshan is Unwell (Norman Fischer)
P Forgiving the Body (Bruce Kramer in conversation with Krista Tippett)
P How to be Sick (Sylvia Boorstein and Toni Bernhard)
P How to Live with Chronic Pain and Illness (Sylvia Boorstein and Toni Bernhard)
N Meditation, Zen and Autism (Anlor Davin)
I Radical Acceptance and Practicing Radical Acceptance (Tara Brach)
P Suffering and Gratitude (Norman Fischer)
P This is Not What I Ordered (podcast with psychotherapist Lauren Selfridge, who herself has Multiple Sclerosis. Kokuu features in episode 57)
P Transforming Illness Through Love and Letting Go (Susan Bauer-Wu)
M What Buddhism Taught Me About Depression by Charles Minguez


Websites

N Autizen blog (by autistic Zen priest, Anlor Davin, who also runs the Autsit sitting group)
P Breathworks (guided meditations for pain and illness)
M Lion's Roar Mental Health Archive
P No Barriers Zen (by Oshin Liam Jennings and containing an ASL Buddhist dictionary)
P Toni Bernhard’s Blog 'Turning Straw into Gold'


Gassho
Kokuu

[Kaitan]

For me, it helped tremendously conscious breathing (through the nose instead of the mouth). Got rid of a chronic allergy and asthma completely within 6-12 months. It was thanks to the book "Breath" from James Nestor (explains the science behind it). I tried meds, changing house, diets and even surgery; never helped. Most of people don't believe me because it's ridiculously simple. I gave up up recommending this, I'll take my chances here only once.

This is not the ultimate cure for all respiratory diseases and I'm not a doctor, but the science behind this and my personal experience makes me think this can help anyone that is suffering from respiratory allergies or asthma, I did suffered a lot from that.

Gasshō

SatToday

Bernal

[Kokuu]

For me, it helped tremendously conscious breathing (through the nose instead of the mouth). Got rid of a chronic allergy and asthma completely within 6-12 months. It was thanks to the book "Breath" from James Nestor (explains the science behind it). I tried meds, changing house, diets and even surgery; never helped. Most of people don't believe me because it's ridiculously simple. I gave up up recommending this, I'll take my chances here only once.

Thank you, Bernal. I will add it to the list.

I must confess that I have the book and have not read it yet!

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday-

[Kaitan]

Thank you, Bernal. I will add it to the list.

I must confess that I have the book and have not read it yet!

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday-

It's really good!

Gasshō

SatToday

Bernal

[Doshin]

It's really good!

Gasshō

SatToday

Bernal

I read the reviews and purchased a copy. Thanks for the suggestion.

Doshin
St

[Kaitan]

I read the reviews and purchased a copy. Thanks for the suggestion.

Doshin
St

Hope you enjoy it



SatToday

Bernal

[JasonC]

One suggestion I offer is Heartwood: The Art of Living with the End in Mind by Barbara Becker. This could fall under general illness based on the categories listed. If not for this list it is still a wonderful read.

Gassho,

Jason

Sat/Lah

[Kokuu]

One suggestion I offer is Heartwood: The Art of Living with the End in Mind by Barbara Becker. This could fall under general illness based on the categories listed. If not for this list it is still a wonderful read.

That sounds great, Jason. Thank you!

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday-

[Alina]

Thank you Kokuu for creating this list, thank you Jason and Bernal for adding to it (I've added "Breath" to my list of future reads).

My suggestion would be: Yoga for Depression, by Amy Weintraub

https://www.amazon.com/Yoga-Depression-Compassionate-Relieve-Suffering/dp/0767914503

This book is not about hard-to-practice yoga postures, it's about how practicing simple ones and breathing techniques (pranayama) can help to lift our mood, and be a true help for anxiety and depression. It helped me a lot to understand my own mind, and how I can affect my own mental state through a practice that is simple and doable in every day life.

The author suffered from unipolar depression for years and only after a retreat at Kripalu she found a way out of her darkness, and that lead her to study more yoga (eventually became a teacher) and help others with their mental struggles. She is very responsible when discussing mental health, the need for medications, the need to continue therapy while doing yoga, so it's not at all one of those "yoga will fix it all for you" courses.

Gassho

Alina
ST

[Kokuu]

Thank you for that suggestion, Amy I will add it to the list.

At some points I have similarly found that yoga helped me with my chronic illness, providing ways I could work with my body that were not overwhelming.

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday-

[Inshin]

Hi Kokuu,

Thank you so much for creating this list of resources!

I have been diagnosed with Autism in August, at the age of 38! If I come across anything relating to Zen and Buddhism that hasn't been shared here already, I'll let you know.

Gassho,
Sat
LaH

[Kokuu]

I have been diagnosed with Autism in August, at the age of 38! If I come across anything relating to Zen and Buddhism that hasn't been shared here already, I'll let you know.

I think that is happening quite a lot, Inshin. Does it help you to know, now?

Please do pass on anything useful you find. One article I need to add to the list is On the Spectrum On the Path, about practicing Buddhism with autism. One of the co-authors is my autistic priest friend Anlor.

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday/lah-

[Inshin]

It does help massively to know now. It's like a big weight lifted off my shoulders! At least there's a reason why I've always felt weird and different to others.

I also understand what sensory overload is, why I often feel exhausted even after 9 hrs sleep and how to manage it better.

I've read "On the spectrum, on the Path" and I must admit that it is a tempting speculation that Buddha might have been autistic.

Now I realise how much Zen practice have unknowingly helped me with easing into sensory overload and I'm now exploring senses as Dharma Gates.

There's still lot to unpack!

Gassho
Sat
LaH

[Kokuu]

It does help massively to know now. It's like a big weight lifted off my shoulders! At least there's a reason why I've always felt weird and different to others.

I also understand what sensory overload is, why I often feel exhausted even after 9 hrs sleep and how to manage it better.

I am really glad it is helping. I know a lot of people who have been diagnosed later in life, often through having children on the spectrum.

At the last SZBA workshop on Zen and Disability, Anlor talked about how most Zen centres are really good in terms of sensory overload with the general quietness and muted colours, but she also said that she finds other aspects of Zen practice, especially the social side, far more difficult.

Exploring senses as dharma gates sounds like a really interesting idea. I would like to hear more about that once you have explored.

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday/lah-

[Prashanth]

Thank you for this space, and for the courage and strength you provide Kokuu.

Gassho.

Sat (in an MRI machine) today.

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